【Common Issues in Haichuan Pipeline Design】When should pipe piers be installed?

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As for when to install pipe supports for underground pipelines, experience suggests that if the ground surface has been treated with anti-corrosion measures, pipe supports must be used for all ground-mounted supports in such projects. For ordinary hardened surfaces that lack anti-corrosion treatment, coordination with the structural elements is necessary in advance; there is no need to install separate support pillars for loads below a certain threshold – for example, 500 kg or 1000 kg. For loads below these values and without any horizontal forces, the standards set by the Ministry of Chemical Industry can be followed, involving the use of expansion bolts fixed to steel plates on the ground. However, during the discussion, someone mentioned that their practice is to use ground pipe supports for all pipelines; one of the items in SH3012 states: 3.1.7 Pipelines should be arranged in rows ； Pipes laid on the ground should be installed in pipe galleries or pipe supports. Pipes laid along the ground, when passing through pedestrian walkways, should be provided with crossing bridges; if necessary, they can be buried or laid in ducts. According to this requirement, it is indeed necessary to use pipe supports as pedestals when laying pipes on the ground. In my opinion, this rule was probably established to address the issue of corrosion caused by water on the ground over time, which could lead to rusting of the pipe supports. In many projects, pipe supports for pipes with low loads and small diameters are indeed installed directly on the ground, and they have functioned properly for many years without any problems, just like the support structure shown in the diagram. Therefore, in my opinion, regarding the load that pipe supports can bear directly on the ground, whether to use pipe pedestals or not should be decided by taking into account various factors such as the relevant regulations of each organization, the owner’s requirements, the project’s cost, and the schedule. If the conditions permit, it is best to use pipe pedestals as required; whereas if the conditions are not suitable, pipe pedestals are necessary in cases of high loads or when corrosion protection is required for the ground surface. For pipes with small diameters and low loads, it is not a problem to omit pipe pedestals~